1. Field
Aspects of the present invention generally relate to connecting vehicular traffic on roadways for generating traffic safety warnings and more specifically relate to creating and blending proxy data for mobile objects having no transmitting devices with data from connected vehicles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Connected vehicles are becoming a reality, which takes driver assistance towards its logical goal: a fully automated network of cars aware of each other and their environment. A connected vehicle system makes mobility safer by connecting cars to everything.
Vehicular communications systems are networks in which vehicles, personal mobile devices (Onboard Units or OBUs) and roadside units (RSUs) are the communicating nodes, providing each other with information, such as safety warnings and traffic information. They can be effective in avoiding crashes and traffic congestion. Both types of nodes are generally dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) devices. DSRC works in 5.9 GHz band with bandwidth of 75 MHz and approximate range of 1000 m.
Vehicular communications systems are usually developed as a part of intelligent transportation systems (ITS). For example, a Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) communications system is an automobile technology designed to allow automobiles to “talk” to each other. These systems generally use a region of the 5.9 GHz band set aside by the United States Congress in 1999, the unlicensed frequency also used by Wi-Fi. The V2V communications system is currently in active development by many car makers.
U.S. Department of Transportation studies indicate that 80% of the non-impaired highway fatalities could be avoided if each vehicle were aware of the traffic signal countdown to red and aware of nearby vehicles on a collision course. The National Highway Transportation Safety Agency has begun rulemaking for legislation requiring new vehicles to be equipped with an On-Board Unit (OBU) that privately and securely: a). transmits vehicle location, heading and speed to nearby vehicles ten times per second, b). receives location heading and speed from nearby vehicles, c). receives lane locations from a Roadside Unit (RSU), d). receives traffic signal countdown from the RSU, and e). receives associated signal phase to lane from the RSU to know which signal to obey.
Vehicles use this data to provide driver warnings for collisions with other vehicles and to warn drivers of red light violations before they occur. This technology has at least four shortcomings: a). no technology exists that allows new vehicles equipped with OBUs to be aware of unequipped vehicles, b). requires installation of an OBU in all vehicles to realize the full safety benefits by the new vehicles, c). the slow penetration of new vehicles results in a mixture of equipped and unequipped vehicles for years, d). although OBUs are private and secure, many drivers balk at any device that transmits vehicle data, and e). drivers balk at the purchase of safety devices or APPs.
Therefore, there is a need for improvements in assisting traffic control for generating traffic safety warnings in a connected vehicle system.